by Nikkyo Niwano

The Seven Offerings That Cost Nothing

The most reported topics in Japanese newspapers and magazines these days have to do with economics. The word economics has a pleasant ring, since it has to do with making money. We Japanese should certainly be grateful that Japan has become a strong economic power, but it would hardly be a good thing if it meant that the only thing on people's minds were money.

One naturally wants enough money to live, and it is important to save for a rainy day. But what happens when one begins to want more and more and allows desires to run rampant? If one's entire being is overtaken by such desires, it spoils one's character and empties one of all sense of humanity. Even worse, the more one gets, the more one is attached to things, and the more avaricious one becomes. One may waste one's whole life amassing purchases, accomplishing nothing worthwhile. In short, however many possessions one acquires, in the end it is all in vain.

Left to themselves, our desires will grow and grow. The quickest way to restrain them is to share what we have. Many will say that they do not have enough to share. Such self-justification is evidence that they remain in the clutches of desire. They are exactly the kind of people for whom the giving of offerings is most important.

I had the honor of being invited, with others, to the residence of the late Princess Chichibu, which is adjacent to the Akasaka Geihin-kan (the government guest house) in Tokyo, and where a large number of pheasants have taken up residence in the garden. When the princess clapped her hands, they came scurrying across the lawn and surrounded her in expectation of crusts of bread. For those of us who live in large cities, this was a most unusual sight and a remarkable gesture of hospitality. We were even more impressed when she told us that on days when she expects visitors, she feeds the pheasants slightly less in the morning, so that when she feeds them again later in the day in the presence of the visitors, they come rushing forward all the more eagerly at the sound of her clapping. This is how solicitous she is of others.

As I listened to her speak, it struck me that this is what Buddhism means by "an offering of the heart." The Buddha preached the virtue of making the "seven offerings that cost nothing"; he taught that however destitute one may be, one can always make some kind of offering. We normally think of an offering as charity, but any kind of service will do. The teaching of the seven offerings makes it clear that gifts of money or goods may be important, but are not the only things one need offer. The seven offerings are of the eye, an amiably smiling face, kind words, service, the heart, a seat, and lodging. We need not offer all of these, but everyone is capable of offering at least one or two. Let me explain some of them.

The offering of the eye means looking upon others with a compassionate eye, warmheartedly and magnanimously. One who is looked upon in this way will feel warm inside and keenly appreciated. One who gives others such joy can be said to be taking one step, then two steps, down the path toward happiness. Looking kindly on the world around us is certainly a habit we should try to cultivate.

Another offering is that of an amiably smiling face. Sometimes we scowl or look sharply at others as if to let them know we have not let down our guard. Instead, we should set aside our own feelings for a moment, and try to put other people at ease by welcoming them with a congenial expression that lets them know we are grateful for the chance to meet and talk with them. When you meet others, greet them with a smile. Such an approach will cheer whomever you meet. If everyone were capable of this sort of offering, the world would become a happier place.

The offering of kind words means speaking to others in a way that makes them happy. Some will say that they cannot endure flattery, but is that not because flattery is insincere? What really makes people happy is the feeling that they are understood. Therefore, if you speak to someone in words that are full of understanding, then you are practicing the highest form of the offering of kind words. Nonetheless, since understanding others is extremely difficult, one should at least make the effort to speak to them in a warmhearted way, with kind words.

The offering of service means helping others as much as you can. When you see an elderly person climbing a public stairway with difficulty, for instance, lend a helping hand. When a fellow worker is doing a job that must be finished soon, offer assistance. Small kindnesses and volunteer work, like tidying a local park or collecting money for social welfare facilities, are also offerings of service. Service not only gives joy immediately through the deed itself, but also spreads its merit indefinitely, by allowing those who see or hear about it to perceive the beauty of the spirit of service. Service is something everyone can do. This spirit of offering makes the world brighter, and becomes the foundation of peace.

"It is true that fish produce so many eggs to ensure the survival of the species, but it may partly be also to provide food for other kinds of fish," said the late Dr. Yasuo Suehiro, a professor emeritus of the University of Tokyo. Since fish feed other fish with many of their own eggs, is it not all the more shameful if people think only of themselves and forget to help others?

It is easy for an affluent person to offer money or goods. However, for the poor to share what they have with people who are even poorer is not so easy. Someone who does that is remarkably pure in spirit and shows a compassion approaching that of the buddhas and bodhisattvas. In O. Henry's short story "The Gift of the Magi," an impoverished young couple exchange Christmas presents. The husband sells his precious pocket watch to buy her a comb to use on her beautiful long hair in which she takes such pride. She sells her long tresses to buy him a watch chain. Thus the comb and the chain are of no use, but the author ends by saying that in their spirit of giving the couple were as wise as the Magi.

Is it not the spirit of consideration for others that brings life's finest moments? Each time one gives thought to others, a beautiful tale unfolds, and in each life a brightly colored flower comes into full bloom.

Giving is the easiest way to control selfish desires that, if given free rein, can destroy oneself as well as others.